


The Grim Prince and the Persevering Pauper

by Floople_Doople



Category: Pocket Monsters: Sun & Moon | Pokemon Sun & Moon Versions, Pocket Monsters: Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon | Pokemon Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon Versions
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Child Abuse, Headcanon, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Suicide, It's gonna get worse before it gets better, M/M, Minor Character Death, Most likely OOC, Romantic Soulmates, Suicide, Tags May Change, canon stabbed me in the back so i took it out back and shot it in the face, im sorry if you actually like kukui i took heavy liberties here, in other words, only at some points tho, scratch that tags WILL change, so ya know how i said that things would get worse before they get better?, the only other fic in this tag is smut and i must change that, uhh, yeah about that...
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-11
Updated: 2019-07-11
Packaged: 2019-11-15 12:13:22
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 6,685
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18073202
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Floople_Doople/pseuds/Floople_Doople
Summary: Soulmates, whether for better or for worse, are able to view one another's memories through dreams.Grimsley had been raised, for lack of a better term, like a prince. Guzma had been treated lower than dirt. They couldn't be more opposite......so what happens when, as soulmates, they are allowed to view one another's memories?





	1. The First Dream

**Author's Note:**

> the title in my docs is "ya boi Guzma be romancin a Sad Gambler(soulmate au edition" and that's probably a better description than the actual description

When Guzma first dreamt of his soulmate, he couldn't help but feel bitter. 

His father had only just finished beating him, leaving Guzma to stumble to his room and try and sleep despite the open wounds and bruises. Nonetheless, he managed, only to find himself dreaming...something he could only dream. 

The luxuries that surrounded him was the first hint. The warmth was the second. The third was when he looked up to see two adults he'd never seen before smiling down at him, with so much pride and love in their faces that Guzma knew it _had_ to be a dream. 

He almost wanted to cry. Then he spoke - or at least, whoever Guzma was stuck with spoke.  

“Mother, Father, are you certain I must go?” 

“You must dear, but don't fret! School will be wonderful!” 

Whoever it was that Guzma was stuck with merely nodded, tugging on a bag that Guzma hadn't noticed before. Then they - and Guzma as well, walked out the huge door that he could only imagine seeing on castles or mansions. 

When they got outside, Guzma started trying to separate himself from whoever this kid was, if only to be able to get a better look around. It took a bit, but Guzma managed to free himself - even if he was still stuck following them.  

The kid’s - or rather, boy’s - hair was stuck up weird, with three parts of it sticking out on both sides. A section of it fell across his face, somehow not getting in his eyes. Then he sighed, muttering under his breath. Somehow, Guzma was still able to hear him clearly.  

“Mother and Father would not understand. Perhaps if we were a normal family, then they would…” 

If he had said anything after that, Guzma couldn’t hear it. Not through the rage that flooded his system. How  _ dare _ he be ungrateful? When he had two parents who loved him and more luxuries than Guzma ever thought possible? 

Guzma opened his eyes, and swallowed down the scream of rage. He couldn’t risk waking up his dad. 

(And if his dad’s clubs hurt more than yesterday for reasons other than the previous day’s injuries, Guzma had no reason to say so.)

\------------------ 

When Grimsley first dreamt of his soulmate, he couldn’t help but feel horrified. 

His mother had walked in to wish him “Sweet dreams!” despite the fact Grimsley never truly had any. Nonetheless, he closed his eyes, Purrloin curled up at the edge of his bed, and opened his eyes to find a man he’d never seen staring down at him.

Grimsley felt a chill go down his spine. The man’s expression only held hate and disgust for him...although, it didn’t seem that he really was himself. But whoever’s eyes he was watching through, they obviously weren’t okay. They were shaking, whether from fear or injuries Grimsley couldn’t tell. But they didn’t say anything. Faintly, he could hear a woman humming, as if she hadn’t a care in the world. 

The man held a golf club. He raised it in the air. Their eyes (Grimsley couldn’t tell if it was truly him closing his eyes or whoever he was with) shut tight in anticipation of the blow. 

When Grimsley opened his eyes once more, he could only watch in horror as a young boy with messy black hair was mercilessly beaten, insults pouring forth from the older man’s mouth. And through all of it, the boy didn’t make a sound. He just stayed where he was on the ground, not even moving to defend himself. 

Grimsley felt sick. 

The faint humming he’d heard stopped. A woman walked into the room, an uncomfortably pleasant smile on her face as she walked in. 

“Dinner is ready boys - and dear, please keep the roughhousing to a minimum, I’d rather not ruin the carpet.” 

Grimsley’s hearing shorted out. Roughhousing? _Roughhousing?_ This man - who he shakily realized was this boy’s father - was downright _beating_ him, and she had the nerve to call it _roughhousing_? 

The man scoffed, taking one last hit at the boy - hitting him with enough force to break it, much to Grimsley’s horror - before dropping the remains of the club and following the still smiling woman out of the room. The boy just lay there on the floor, before shakily getting up. 

Grimsley tried to move towards him to even attempt to help him, but found he was rooted to the spot. He was forced to watch as the boy shakily got onto his feet, shuddering at the number of bruises he sported, and how he seemed to curl in on his stomach. 

“J-Just…” Grimsley’s eyes widened at hearing him speak. “Just wait...until I’m o-older, old man...I’ll s-show you..”

Even though Grimsley wasn’t looking at him, the sight of gray eyes shining with defiance flashed through his mind. It was enough to make his own eyes widen, almost in awe, of how determined he was.

When Grimsley awoke, he had to blink back the tears in his eyes. What had that been about?

(And when he found out that the dream he had was of his soulmate, no one had to know how much his heart shattered.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hhh and this is only the beginning yall - pls leave comments, i live for them


	2. A Moment in Their Lives

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just a passing moment in their lives. 
> 
> Nothing more, and nothing less.

Guzma kept dreaming of his soulmate. It's not like he could stop it from happening; still, there were times he'd almost prefer his nightmares over the dreams of the boy he now knew as Grimsley.

Even if there was no one in those dreams out for his life, they were equally bad in that, Guzma was forced to see everything he could never have.

Loving parents. A warm and welcoming home. His own Pokemon. Somewhere he didn't have to constantly worry about angering his parents. A place that he would have given damn near everything to have.

It was practically torture.

And for some _Arceusdamned_ reason, his soulmate - Guzma could already feel the grimace at the word - never seemed to appreciate any of it. In damn near every memory Guzma saw of the kid, he was sighing about how his life was “so damn difficult”. Needless to say, Guzma only grew more and more angry at how little Grimsley seemed to care for what he had.

And here he was again, forcing himself to sleep only to open his eyes and find himself staring straight at Grimsley.

Although, this one was different. Sure, they were outside, but this definitely wasn't the route to where Grimsley went to school. That route did not have an entrance to a giant forest - this one did. And Grimsley had his Purrloin with him, and a different bag than the one he went to school with. This was enough to at least make Guzma raise an eyebrow. Grimsley almost never went outside, unless it was to go to school or within five feet of his parents’ mansion. So what was he doing outside?

His question was answered when out of the tall grass appeared a Pawniard, looking rather confused. Grimsley startled back for a moment, before seemingly remembering that he had a Pokemon with him and that he wasn’t entirely defenseless. The pale boy then called out an attack - and the battle began.

Guzma scoffed. The battle was pretty pathetic in his opinion. Sure, this may be his first Pokemon battle, but his reactions were slow, and his Purrloin seemed to be doing way more of the thinking for him.

Miraculously, Grimsley’s Purrloin managed to knock out the Pawniard - leading to Grimsley fumbling around his backpack for a moment before pulling out a familiar ball.

A Pokeball.

It took way too long for Grimsley to throw it right, the red light encircling the Pawniard before trapping it within the Pokeball entirely. It shook a few times, waiting for a while before finally clicking, signifying that the catch had been successful. Grimsley seemed to brighten at this - even if there was no smile on his face - as he rushed over to pick up the Pokeball.

“Hi Pawniard,” he whispered to the Pokeball, to which Guzma had to hold back a laugh. Seriously? “Welcome-”

Suddenly Grimsley froze. His entire body tensed as his eyes widened in what looked like horror towards something Guzma couldn’t see. Purrloin, he noted, did not seem to care. He seemed to be stuck in a sort of frozen terror, where he was clearly scared but unable to move out of fear. It took a moment before a low noise began humming through the air. Purrloin got called back into another Pokeball.

Guzma looked around, trying to figure out where the noise was coming from before his eyes landed on Grimsley again. The noise was...coming from him?

And the noise was slowly getting louder too. Guzma almost had to cover his ears as Grimsley began screaming louder and louder. Eventually, the woman Guzma had come to know as Grimsley’s mother rushed outside, scooping up the still-screaming Grimsley with a terrified look on her face before rushing back in the direction of the mansion. 

Guzma snickered. He turned to see what had spooked Grimsley so badly and ended up freezing himself.

A Sewaddle. A small, harmless Sewaddle stared at where Grimsley had been standing just a moment ago before looking straight at Guzma, or at the very least in Guzma’s direction.

Guzma couldn’t stop laughing, whether out of the absurdity or stupidity of it, he wasn’t sure. 

For once, he woke up from a dream about his soulmate with something akin to a smile on his face.

\------------------

Grimsley kept dreaming of his soulmate. It's not like he could stop it from happening; even so, there were times he wished he could stop the dreams and help the boy he learned was named Guzma.

Every time he dreamt of Guzma, it was never pretty. It never changed much either, which was extremely worrying in Grimsley's eyes.

His father - Grimsley thought that the man did not deserve the title - would also be beating Guzma, while his mother - Grimsley hated calling her that as well - would act as though nothing was wrong. As if her husband wasn’t abusing their son horribly - and, if what he heard was correct, occasionally verbally abusing her as well. She always kept that uncomfortably pleasant smile on her face, like that was enough to wipe away anything that happened throughout the day.

Grimsley absolutely despised it.

Nevertheless, Grimsley closed his eyes to sleep, opening them to find himself staring at...a very different scene. 

For one, Guzma’s father was nowhere to be seen. Guzma himself was also standing straight up, eyes alight with what was most likely fury as he stared down his mother.

His mother, who was still staring at him with that blasted smile of hers.

“Don’t ya get it Mom?!” Guzma suddenly shouted, startling Grimsley - even if his mother barely even flinched. “Dad’s - He ain’t a good person!”

Guzma had flinched when he even mentioned his father, looking over his shoulder as if expecting the man in question to appear out of the ground. Grimsley wouldn't have been surprised if he had - that's how demons normally spawned, if what he heard was correct.

His mother’s smile faltered, if only for a brief moment. Within the span of a second, her smile reappeared, looking far more forced than it ever had before.

“Your father is just playing around - that is what fathers and sons do, after all,” she said, the cheerful tone contrasting heavily with the forced smile.

Guzma grimaced. As did Grimsley.

“That's not playin mom! He's...he's hurtin us. He's hurtin me, and he's been hurtin you too-!” Guzma suddenly cut off there, a strangled gasp making it's way out instead.

And it wasn't because of nerves.

Guzma’s mother had gripped him by the shoulders, hands dangerously close to grabbing his neck. She was staring at him directly in the eye for once, the smile having disappeared from her face.

“Guzma, dear, listen to me.” Her tone was dangerous, strained and quiet as she spoke directly to her son. “You are exaggerating. Your father is not hurting us in anyway. If you continue to speak so disrespectfully of your father, I may have to tell him so. Understood?”

Guzma stood there, eyes wide under the petrifying gaze of his mother. Grimsley expected his eyes to shine in defiance once more, to exclaim that she was wrong and that she needed to truly _open **her** eyes_.

To his horror, his only dimmed in defeat as he nodded slowly, an unreadable expression on Guzma's face.

The smile appeared back on her face.

“I'm glad we had this chat, dear! Now go set the table - your father should be home any minute now, and he must be hungry!” Her smile didn't quite reach her eyes, but she turned away and left before Grimsley could think about it any more.

He turned back to Guzma, who was standing there, fists clenching and unclenching in what must have been frustration. Then, something happened that Grimsley never thought he'd see.

Guzma _cried_.

Grimsley watched in a cold horror as Guzma tried to wipe away the tears streaming down his face, swallowing down any sobs before they could appear.

“D-Dammit Mom…” Guzma managed to whisper. “C-Can't you see i-it?”

Not for the first time, he awoke from a dream about his soulmate with tears in his eyes and a burning urge to _help him_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> H e ck I've already dragged down one person - time to drag down moooore


	3. The Turning Point

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When things began to change, whether for better or for worse.

When Grimsley next dreamt of his soulmate, something was clearly different.

He had gone to sleep, hoping to chase away the dreariness of the day with a dreamless sleep. He had fallen asleep relatively easily, though instead of easily slipping into the fuzzy fog that came with sleep, he opened his eyes to find something...different.

For one, they clearly weren’t inside. He could see the night sky clearly, and what he had to assume was the ocean next to a rocky beach.

And that wasn’t the only thing different either. It took him a moment to find Guzma, but when he did, he was kneeling down, facing a hole in the cliff with some sort of bread bun in his hand.

“Come on out lil’ buddy,” Guzma said, his voice surprisingly soft - softer than Grimsley thought possible, truthfully. “I ain’t gonna hurt ya. It’s alright.”

He waved the bread a little bit in the direction of the hole. Grimsley supposed that he was attempting to lure a Pokemon out of the hole. And, though it took a moment, he succeeded.

A Pokemon that Grimsley had never seen before - although if he had to guess, it was a bug-type - slowly poked its head out of the hole, looking rather nervous. In contrast, Guzma only chuckled.

“That’s right, come on. Want a malasada?” He held out te bread bun - er, malasada - and waited for the Pokemon to get closer.

Amazingly enough, it did. It slowly inched forwards, before finally ending up in front of Guzma. Carefully, he put down the malasada for the Pokemon to eat - even if Guzma himself did not leave. The Pokemon stared at it for a few moments, even poking it a bit before carefully taking a bite. Right afterwards, it let out a delighted screech - at least, Grimsley assumed it did - before diving right into eating.

Guzma smiled. Grimsley _stared_.

This was the first time Grimsley had ever seen Guzma smile. As in, really, truly smile. Not a forced one for his mother, nor one he made just to defy his father.

But an actual, genuine smile.

Grimsley could feel his heart melt, his face feeling warmer than it ever had before. There was an odd, fluttery feeling in his chest that Grimsley supposed was what most described as “Butterfrees in their chest”. There was really only one thought running through his head though.

_I want to see that smile more._

Guzma continued to smile, reaching his hand out to gently pet the Pokemon. Surprisingly enough, the Pokemon did not run - rather, it nuzzled into Guzma’s hand, an odd sort of purring coming from it.

It might’ve been cute, if it wasn’t a bug.

“That’s right lil’ buddy, I ain’t gonna hurt ya. Aren’t ya just amazin?” Guzma breathed out, and Grimsley swore he could see the stars in his eyes.

The Pokemon just chittered happily, continuing to nuzzle his hand. Guzma went silent again, just watching fondly as the Pokemon finished eating. Unfortunately, he had to get up. The Pokemon chittered sadly, clearly wanting him to stay.

“Sorry lil’ buddy, but I gotta go.” For the first time since getting there, Guzma's expression morphed into something angry. “Old man will notice if I'm gone too long.”

The Pokemon made another sad noise before seeming to accept that Guzma had to leave to go back to his parents. Grimsley wished he didn't have to go back at all.

“Don't worry, I'll be back. I'll bring more malasadas too.” The smile returned, albeit soft and barely there.

The Pokemon chittered happily at the prospect of Guzma coming back, before it took off back to its home in the cliff. Guzma stood there for a moment before heading back, the smile having vanished entirely.

Grimsley awoke. And when he awoke, the first thing he did was blink back the tears in his eyes and bite back the sobbing-laughter that threatened to bubble up. Arceus he _loved_ that smile.

He thought Guzma should smile much more often.

\------------------

When Guzma next dreamt about his soulmate, something was definitely off.

He had been able to sleep, for the first time in what must have been years without being in pain. And he’d fallen asleep, expecting to either be confronted with the warm family he longed for or a nightmare about the family he had been stuck with.

What he got was something...completely different.

Up until then, the atmosphere he would be met with was warm and welcoming, everything his family wasn’t.

This time….it was cold. Desolate. Guzma felt a shiver run down his spine before he immediately began looking around to see what was wrong. He seemed to be standing in an office of sorts, an unopened letter sitting on the desk. Then he heard the door open, and a familiar voice speak.

“Father? Are you in here…?” Grimsley trailed off as his eyes landed on the letter.

He walked over to the desk in the time it took Guzma to blink. He opened the letter, and though Guzma didn't see it, he knew what it said.

Bankruptcy. No longer had any money. Lost it all to a friend. _Leaving his family_ . **_Not even saying goodbye_ **.

Guzma couldn't make himself feel bad. After all, Grimsley had wanted this, hadn't he? To not be wealthy? It was a long time coming. And yet…

Guzma clenched his fists. He could be angry at Grimsley's father for abandoning them like that. That was fucked up, no matter the circumstances. You were supposed to stick with your family, no matter what.

Grimsley hadn't said a word after he finished reading the letter. He hadn't even moved an inch. Guzma got the image of blue eyes desperately trying to hold back tears.

“Honey, where on earth are you? I haven't seen you all day-” Guzma whirled around to see that Grimsley's mother had frozen in the doorway of the office. “...Dear, what's that you're holding?”

Grimsley turned to look at her, the tears that had been in his eyes now nowhere to be seen.

“...Mother,” Grimsley began, voice unnaturally calm. “We're...we're going to have to change a few things.”

“What do you mean dear?” She walked towards him, plucking the letter out of his hands.

Not even a minute later, it dropped from her hands.

“B...bankrupt..?” She murmured in disbelief, beginning to sway on her feet.

Grimsley helped her to a chair, an unreadable expression on his face. His mother was clearly distressed.

“We'll be alright Mother, please don't fret.” Grimsley began attempting to reassure her. “We just need to...sell a few things.”

“Sell? Like what?” She was instantly on guard, as a disbelieving look crept over Guzma’s face.

“Only things we do not need.” Grimsley was quick to say, seemingly beginning to think. “Furniture, spare clothing-”

Grimsley wasn’t even able to finish his sentence before his mother began to shriek.

“You will NOT be selling ANY of _my_ dresses!” She cried, looking horrified at even the thought of doing so.

“...Of course not Mother,” he responded quietly after a moment, somehow managing to keep his expression neutral.

His mother huffed. Guzma could hardly believe what he was hearing. Was this woman actually more concerned with keeping her stupid dresses over the fact that they had no money? The fuck?

“Good. I will not be forced to dress like some beggar,” she said haughtily as she got up and left, leaving behind a silent Grimsley and a stunned Guzma.

Guzma felt the same rage he felt when he first met Grimsley flood through him. However, for once, that bitterness was not directed at Grimsley. It was directed at his mother. How on earth was she selfish enough to care more about her clothing than even attempting to comfort her son? Fuck, not even just her son, but her _sons_.

(When Guzma had first realized that Grimsley was not an only child, he wasn’t sure how to feel. While he never wanted a younger sibling for the sake of the home they’d have to grow up in, he was admittedly somewhat lonely.)

Grimsley only stood there, trembling slightly. Guzma took one step forward, stopping. What was he going to do, comfort Grimsley? Tell him he had it coming? He didn’t even _know_.

A sad, almost broken chuckle sounded through the air. Guzma watched as Grimsley forced down the laugh, wiping the tears already forming in his eyes. He didn’t even hear Grimsley ask _why_. He just wiped his tears away, forced on a smile, and began walking out of the office.

Guzma woke up. And when he woke up, the first thing he did was mutter the words, “What the fuck..?” Did he actually just witness that? Sure, he didn’t really feel bad about Grimsley’s family losing their money, hell Grimsley himself had been wanting something along those lines for years. It’s just...his mind wandered towards the letter and his mom’s words.

Guzma thought that Grimsley might not have been so bad after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hhhh was hoping to get this out sooner but stuff got in the way - anyway its only gonna get worse from heeere :'D


	4. The Kingdom Came Crashing Down

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Expected no update? Or maybe even crack? APRIL FOOLS!!! It's an actual update!! and its angst im so sorry

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> uhh if you didn't see the new tags - there is a suicide in this chapter;; it's in guzma's half of the chapter - which is the second half, so tread carefully;;

The next time that Grimsley dreamt of his soulmate, something was different yet again - he hoped that it was for the better.

Yet again he had gone to sleep, the day’s events only luring him into what would hopefully be a dreamless sleep. So once he got home, he flopped into bed, closing his eyes and hoping that he’d fall into a dreamless sleep. What he got may not have been what he wanted initially...but Grimsley would argue that it was even better.

When he opened his eyes, he found himself outside of Guzma’s home. Normally, that’d be a cause for alarm, though there was something...different, this time. For one, Guzma’s father - Grimsley hated having to call the man that - was nowhere to be seen. For two, Guzma and his mother were both standing outside, with the woman herself holding a camera in her hands as Guzma held up an amulet.

“Smile for the camera, dear!” She said cheerily, snapping the picture as Guzma smirked.

Grimsley blinked. This was certainly a different scene from what he was used to. The happiest he had ever seen Guzma around his mother, if you could even call it happiness, was only to keep his father from growing more furious at the both of them. But here...Guzma seemed at the very least proud, if not outright happy.

Guzma’s mother snapped a picture, the smile on her face somehow appearing...less forced. It was still forced, mind you, but it was the closest thing to a genuine smile Grimsley had ever seen from her.

“I can’t believe it...you’ve already grown up so quickly..” She began wiping at her eyes with her free hand, laughing somewhat sadly. “It seems like only yesterday I was holding you in my arms, and now you’re off to take on the island challenge.”

Guzma’s eyes softened a bit. “Don’t start cryin on me Mom. I’ll take on the island challenge and become a Trial Captain, just you wait!”

A grin appeared on his face - even if it was nowhere close to the smiles he gave whenever he was talking to what Grimsley learned was called a Wimpod, he still loved them all the same. Guzma needed to smile much, much more, in his opinion.

“Of course dear. Now, hurry along! You don’t want to miss getting your first Pokemon, do you?” Guzma’s mother laughed a bit, though she seemed surprised when she realized what direction Guzma was heading in. “Dear, the kahuna’s house is the other way.”

“I know Mom - I just already know what Pokemon I want!” Guzma continued to run, and despite knowing that he would still be seeing what Guzma saw, Grimsley ran after him.

It didn’t take long until Guzma arrived at the beach, with Grimsley not far behind. He stopped, using the moment to catch his breath before taking out a Pokeball. Grimsley hadn’t even noticed that he had one with him.

“Wimpod! It’s ya boy Guzma!” As Guzma looked around for said Pokemon, Grimsley couldn’t help but snicker at how...silly Guzma’s words had sounded.

Guzma had barely spoken the words when the small bug Pokemon began scurrying out to greet him, already beginning to nuzzle against him. In Grimsley’s opinion, it made sense - considering how much time Guzma had spent with this Wimpod, of course he’d want it to be his first Pokemon.

“Hey there lil’ buddy, guess what? I’m officially a Pokemon trainer startin today!” Guzma said excitedly, grinning as Wimpod chittered happily. “And that means I get to start on the island challenge with any Pokemon I choose!”

Guzma held out the Pokeball to the Wimpod, a hopeful smile on his face as the Pokemon stared in what was most likely confusion. “That’s right lil’ buddy - I was wonderin if ya wanted to be my partner on the island challenge?”

A few seconds passed. Grimsley could see Guzma start to deflate before Wimpod chittered the most joyous sound Grimsley had ever heard come out of the Pokemon before it practically tackled the Pokeball in Guzma’s hand, the device shaking only once before it clicked.

Wimpod was now officially Guzma’s Pokemon.

Guzma stared at the Pokeball, a whirlwind of emotions flooding his face. Confusion, surprise, joy, relief - they swirled in his eyes for a moment before a choked sob made its way out of his throat. Grimsley was worried for a split second before catching sight of the enormous smile now present on Guzma’s face.

It was absolutely breathtaking. Grimsley swore he felt his heart stop and his face flush at just the sight of it.

“Thank you,” whispered Guzma, hugging the Pokeball tightly to his chest as tears continued to slide down his cheeks. “I won’t let you down, I swear on it. Ya chose me, I’ll make sure I deserve to be.”

When Grimsley awoke, he almost wanted to cry himself. He hadn’t wanted to wake up yet, he wanted to see more of that gorgeous smile-!

Alas, he had to go. Still, Grimsley found himself hoping that this would be the beginning of something far, far better than what Guzma hd grown up with.

(Little did he know, he would end up being right - though it’d be a long time coming.)

\------------------

The next time Guzma dreamed about his soulmate, something had changed again - he had a feeling it wasn’t a good one.

He was honestly exhausted from all the battling he and his lil’ buddy did - Guzma still had to come up with a better name than “Lil’ Buddy” - and was just as ready to sleep as his Pokemon was; no matter the chances of him having a nightmare.

However, when he did dream, he almost wished he had a nightmare instead. When he opened his eyes, he found himself shivering. Grimsley’s home hadn’t felt this cold since….

Guzma’s eyes widened. Fuck. Fuck, what the fuck happened? Something had to, for the very atmosphere to be so cold and unforgiving. He looked around, noting that he was standing in a hallway, his eyes landing on Grimsley.

He looked...far more tired than Guzma had ever expected to see him. Far more aware as well...and worried.

“Mother? Mother, where are you?” Grimsley called out, voice echoing off of the empty halls.

Guzma got the image of a boy - Grimsley’s youngest brother - tearfully asking, “Where did Mom go?”

He followed Grimsley, half out of obligation and half out of an awful curiosity. Eventually, both ended up stopping in front of a door.

“Mother?” Grimsley asked quietly, carefully opening the door.

The room was dark. Eerily dark, the only light coming from the hallway. Inside was...Grimsley’s mother. On her bed, asleep.

Guzma narrowed his eyes. Something didn’t seem right. Grimsley did not seem to think so. He slowly walked towards her, forcing an odd smile on his face.

“My apologies for waking you Mother, but…” Grimsley paused. His hand had landed on her shoulder, about to shake her awake.

Guzma’s blood ran cold. Grimsley tried to shake her awake - but she lay there, completely still. He backed away slowly - and that’s when Guzma saw them. The several now-empty pill bottles scattered on the ground. The note on the nightstand. Grimsley must have seen them too, because he just stared between them and his mother - his mother’s body, eyes flickering between some other emotion that Guzma could not recognize. Anger? Sadness? ...Maybe even guilt?

“Big brother?” Both Guzma and Grimsley whirled around to see his little brother standing there, blissfully ignorant of the situation. “Is Mom in here?”

“Er-” Before Grimsley could even get another word in, his brother spotted the body on the bed.

For all of five seconds, his face brightened. Then it fell.

“Mom? Mom, wake up.” He walked closer to the bed, now trying to shake her awake. She did not respond.

“Mom? Mom, why are you so cold? Mom, wake up, please!” The poor boy began pleading as Grimsley started trying to calm him down, or at the very least, get him away from the body.

For his part, Guzma could only stare. Stare in a mixture of horror, shock, and...anger. Anger that she had left her children behind so easily. He looked at the note, and his anger only grew.

Dresses? That was it? She had...she had ended her own life, had left her sons behind...all because Grimsley sold her dresses? He had seen Grimsley sell them, and he knew that the only reason he had was desperation. And she dared to end her life over something as insignificant as that?!

When Guzma’s eyes opened to stare at the ceiling, a familiar bubble of rage began to form in his throat. He forced it down - no use screaming about something he couldn’t change. Still, how…?!

For the first time, he felt the want to truly help, even just hug his soulmate. His soulmate - Grimsley deserved that much at least. He found himself hoping, wishing even, just for a brief moment, that Grimsley would not have to suffer anymore.

(Even if he didn’t know it at the time, his wish would be granted - it’d just take a very, very long time to do so.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hhha life been getting in the way, so sorry about the update taking so longggg


	5. Three Drops in the Stream

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Three moments of Guzma's life through the eyes of Grimsley.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> W HE E ZE IM SORRY THIS FIC ISN'T DEAD IM JUST BAD AT UPDATING CONSISTENTLY

Grimsley found his thoughts wandering to his soulmate quite often. Rather, what he dreamt about his soulmate. Granted, it wasn’t all bad, but…

...sometimes, what he dreamt, left him feeling beyond angry, bordering on furious.

\------------

At first, it hadn’t been that bad. Grimsley had simply gone to sleep, closing his eyes and opening them to find himself watching Guzma’s journey to take on what Grimsley learned was called the island challenge. He couldn’t help the, albeit small, smile on his face from just seeing how much happier Guzma was away from his parents.

He found himself rooting for Guzma on multiple occasions, as he took on battle after battle with his Wimpod. The memory of Guzma beating his first trial was a blessed one - Guzma had cheered for ages, proudly taking the crystal that marked his trial as complete. Grimsley cherished the smile upon his face - Guzma had been smiling far more as of late, which was something Grimsley was grateful for. 

It wasn’t often, though, that Grimsley opened his eyes to view a battle taking place, let alone one against another trainer. Nonetheless, Grimsley cheered silently as Guzma and Wimpod claimed victory yet again. 

They had only just won, Guzma stepping forward to shake the other trainer’s hand when it happened. Wimpod began to glow. Guzma had jumped - as had Grimsley - before the former’s eyes lit up. It was when Wimpod’s form began to change that Grimsley realized what was going on.

Wimpod was  _ evolving _ .

Slowly, Wimpod’s form grew and grew until it towered over Guzma, the latter looking on with pride and excitement. Its limbs grew out, two becoming claws and two becoming legs that Wimpod now stood upon. Eventually Wimpod stopped glowing, and it looked down at its trainer with a clear expression of happiness.

“Hey, congrats!” Guzma turned to look at the other trainer, a smile on their face. “Your Wimpod just evolved into Golisopod! That’s great!”

“Sure is! Ya look amazin’ buddy!” Guzma said happily, staring up at Golisopod with pride as the Pokemon chittered happily.

Grimsley couldn’t help the smile on his face, even if it wasn’t there when he awoke. Guzma deserved all the happiness he could get, in Grimsley’s opinion.

\------------

Somehow, Grimsley already knew something was wrong before he even opened his eyes. He was greeted by Guzma calling back Golisopod, a sad smile on his face as he muttered a quiet, “You did great buddy, now rest up.”

Grimsley looked around - it looked to be one of the Trial sites. The Fire one, if the appearance was any indication. The Trial Captain, an older woman with hair the color of fire, simply shook her head before a smirk appeared on her face.

“Just give it up already kid. You aren’t going to defeat my trial with weak crap like that,” she taunted, prompting the sad smile on Guzma’s face to twist into grimace as Grimsley stared in shock. 

“Shaddup! I can beat yer stupid trial!” He shot back, though Grimsley could just tell by the shaking in his voice that he wasn’t so sure.

“Sure you can. Next you’re gonna tell me you’ll become a trial captain.” She practically cackled as Guzma’s hands clenched into fists.

“I will! I’ll become a better captain than you could ever be!” He practically growled at her, storming away in the opposite direction. Grimsley stared after his retreating figure, shooting a dirty look at the trial captain - even if she wasn’t able to see him.

Guzma could do it. Guzma could, and would, become a better trial captain. He just knew it.

\------------

Grimsley’s eyes widened - whether in distress or shock, he couldn't quite tell in the moment - his throat practically closing up. He wished he could say something, anything, even if Guzma wasn’t able to hear him. He wanted to reassure him, tell him he was amazing, far more than anyone else. And yet…

“Golisopod has been knocked out. The winner is Proctor Kali!”

Grimsley could only watch numbly as Guzma called back Golisopod, the latter’s expression somewhere between shock and disbelief. He reached an arm out towards Guzma, wanting to comfort him in some way, before drawing it back. That’s right...he wasn’t truly there in the first place.

The proctor at least had enough heart to look apologetic.

“Sorry kid,” they said with a frown. “Better luck next time.”

Guzma didn’t respond for a moment. Grimsley felt his heart break when he heard Guzma mutter an apology for wasting the proctor’s time. He sounded so...so defeated. It was so unlike Guzma that Grimsley wanted to cry. Yet he could do no more than watch, following as Guzma walked back to the waiting room.

As he sat back down, the young man next to him - who for some reason only wore an unzipped jacket, swim trunks and sandals - patted him on the shoulder, a sympathetic expression on his face. 

“You did your best at least! I’m sure you can get it next time!” he said, clearly trying to comfort him. 

“-Kukui, please go to Battlefield 4 for your test.”

“Oh, that’s me!” The young man - Kukui apparently - stood up. “Wish me luck!”

Guzma watched silently as he went off, Grimsley’s attention being refocused on worrying for Guzma. In all the time Grimsley had known him, Guzma had never been this quiet. It was almost terrifying, not knowing how Guzma was doing now. 

Guzma looked up to one of the screens that displayed the matches of other applicants, his eyes trailing to the one that displayed Kukui’s match. The man in question was doing surprisingly well, and Grimsley could see that Guzma was starting to root for him. 

Then something changed.

Suddenly, Kukui’s Pokemon - a strange wolf-like one - stopped attacking as fiercely, stopped dodging as quickly. Grimsley’s eyes widened in confusion; what had happened? He could see that Guzma was just as confused, as Kukui’s Pokemon had not been acting like this before. Was it stunned? Confused? Something had to have happened, why else would this be happening?

As expected, Kukui’s Pokemon was knocked out. Grimsley frowned - what a shame, he had been doing so well - before looking to Guzma.

_ And he froze _ .

Guzma looked angry. No, not angry...beyond angry. But why? Grimsley looked back at the screen, hoping for answers, before pausing at Kukui’s expression. He was laughing. Giving a shrug. Saying something to the proctor, who was just as confused, before walking away.

Grimsley felt himself shaking. Shaking with...with something. Disappointment? Anger? Most likely the latter, all because of what Kukui had said.

_ “Just changed my mind, that’s all. I didn’t really want to be a captain !” _

Had he…?

Kukui came walking back, a carefree grin on his face. 

“Oh well, I tried my best!” He said with a laugh, before pausing. “Uh...are you alright?”

“...Answer me honestly. Did you throw that match?” Guzma asked, the anger barely contained in his voice.

Kukui flinched, the surprise quite clear in his expression at Guzma’s words. Then he spoke.

“What’re you talkin’ about? I didn’t throw my match?” He said, sounding...nervous.

Grimsley’s hands clenched into fists. As did Guzma’s.

“Don’t pull that shit! You could have very easily beaten them! Why didn’t you?!” He started yelling, standing up from where he was sitting to be able to look straight at Kukui.

“Because I didn’t?” He responded with an odd-sounding laugh and a shrug. “Why’re you getting so worked up anyhow?”

“ _ Then what was the point of even takin’ the damn test?!  _ Quitting halfway like you did...you’re practically laughing in the face of everyone who actually tried their best!” Guzma almost  _ growled _ , anger seeping into his voice. Grimsley couldn’t blame him. 

Something flashed in Kukui’s expression. Maybe apologetic, or even guilt? But Guzma was already storming out of the room by the time Kukui had started reaching out towards him. 

Grimsley’s eyes opened. He sat up, looking down at his hands. They were shaking. He’d...He’d felt angry before of course. Truthfully, it was only at his father and mother, for abandoning him and his brothers for abandoning them when times got rough. But this...Grimsley couldn’t even describe the fury in his mind. How dare that Kukui act so, so nonchalant about it? As if becoming a captain was as simple as picking what you wanted to eat. It was  _ infuriating. _

Underneath the anger he felt towards Kukui...he could only hope that Guzma would be able to work through his emotions. 

Even with the sinking feeling that he wouldn’t.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> trying a new thing - its probably gonna go back to the old format after this ajdsjsj


End file.
